


Persona D3

by marbll_anxsui, Yosu



Category: Persona Series, Shin Megami Tensei
Genre: Alternate World, Anxiety Disorder, Dogs, Fortune Telling, Gender Dysphoria, Hair-pulling, Haircuts, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Multi-media, Nonbinary Character, Older Nanako Dojima, Other, Panic Attacks, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Self-Hatred, Transphobia, accidental misgendering, fanwork, suicide baiting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:55:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22064377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marbll_anxsui/pseuds/marbll_anxsui, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yosu/pseuds/Yosu
Summary: - Persona Users are Attracted to Persona Users-At the strike of twilight, a strange website is online. They say, if you register an account, you'll meet your destined partner...However, that's not true.(art by @marbll_anxsui!)
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue 0 -- MAZE OF LIFE

[ Prologue - Maze of life ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2aH4fTeAjM)

>...  
>...  
>... Is this working?

The blog post they made is blank in appearance -- simple white text on a black background. The text was typed in a fast pace. How could they get this out? Live stream? Maybe.

**> I am a NEET.  
> Or, was. **   
**> Was a NEET.**   
**> Should I introduce myself? Before I say all the craziness?**   
**> My name is Yoshikazu Hashimoto.**   
**> I want to get this all out before this is taken down by the Kirijo group.**   
**> Bellow are my diary entries**.

They should begin. From the beginning.

* * *

**-Nine Months Ago-**

* * *

**> Date: 04/08/20, 6:58 A.M..**

> >A cool spring morning. Just like any other, however, for me, this is new. I am a NEET. I have shut myself away from the world for five whole years. 

> > My name is Yoshikazu Hashimoto. I live in the semi-small town, Takayama. A small town in the boonies. I’ve lived here my entire life. I don’t exactly remember why I shut myself away. I don’t remember when I lost control of my life. 
> 
> >I don’t remember how I got out, either. It was like something snapped in my head -- like a voice in my head. 

_"Do not stay hidden anymore."_

> >And like that, I signed up for the local highschool -- uh, it’s Takagami, I believe. Oh! And I start tomorrow. 

**> Date: 04/08/20, 7:30 A.M..**

> >Entering the school gave me a small panic attack -- as expected from someone who’s never their home in the last five years.
> 
> >But! Good news, I met someone.
> 
> >His name is Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi Mizushima. He’s very nice.

* * *

“You’re Yoshikazu, the transfer student?” Kiyoshi asked, brushing a chestnut brown lock out of his eyes.

Yoshikazu gave an unsure smile. “I, uh, well I--” it was so hard _answering that._ Because they aren't transferring to a new school. This was their first ever experience at a high school _ever._

“Yes, I,” Yoshikazu gave the boy an even more unsure smile.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I should’ve guessed you’d be shy.”

_Shy isn’t even half of it._

Kiyoshi wrapped an arm around Yoshikazu, which was easy given how short they were. “Don’t worry, I’ll help you.” He gave a nice, wholesome and friendly smile. “By the way, did you hear what they’re saying about the new teacher?”

Yoshikazu shook their head.

“Oh, well, apparently Adachi-sensei has some _juicy_ history in the stuck-in-the-sticks town Inaba…” Kiyoshi said, ending off with a trickster giggle.

“...I-I,” Yoshikazu mumbled. “V-very…”

Yoshikazu smiled. “That’s very interesting

> **> DATE: 04/08/20, 8:00 A.M..**

It’s really interesting how much insight you can get in someone by just looking at them.

Adachi-sensei, their teacher, was this person.

The faint smell of cigarettes and alcohol, unkempt and frizzy black hair, a less than form fitting suit, deep dark bag under the teacher’s eyes. Everything about Adachi screamed fuck up.

Yoshikazu found that interesting. The school would let this… mess up of a human being to teach a class? How perplexing.

“Everyone, this is the fabled ‘transfer-student-san’.” Adachi introduced. “Although I don’t know what school she’s originally from… oh, uh, please introduce yourself.”

They slowly grabbed a piece of chalk and gently wrote their name on the blackboard behind them.

“Yoshikazu…” Adachi read off. “What an interesting name…”

Yoshikazu smiled awkwardly. “I- Well, thank you.” The student mumbled out. Then, they glanced towards the class.

“N-nice to… nice to meet you all, as well.”

> **> Date: 04/08/20, 4:00 P.M..**

Exiting the classroom, Kiyoshi stretched his arms, alerting Yoshikazu. “Ah, you’re new, right? So you probably don’t have many friends yet, right?”

Yoshikazu blushed and glanced down towards their feet. “Y-, well, yeah.”

“Well,” Kiyoshi smiled, “I can introduce you to my group of friends! Well, two of them.”

_Two of them?_

“...Are they, um, well, nice?” Yoshikazu asked sheepishly.

“Yeah! Totally!” The tall boy answered. “Seiji’s a bit headass at times and Shiji’s an odd duck, but they’re totally chill!”

Yoshikazu nearly collapsed from the mere idea of _someone new_ , the stressful idea of it all.

“Oh, look at that, there they are!” Kiyoshi waved happily at a duo of boys walking towards them.

The first boy that Yoshikazu noticed was a tall boy with waving, short blond hair. He had spectacles and wore the typical school uniform at Takayama. 

The second boy was only an inch shorter than the other. He was dark-skinned, wearing the similar school uniform.

This was… an interesting development.

> * * *

* * *

>by the way, the standard (unisex/male) uniform and the takagami logo looks like this. (credit to ███████)


	2. >Date: 04/08/20, 4:00 P.M..

**> Date: 04/08/20, 4:00 P.M..**

The first boy smiled. “Hey, I’m **Shiji Toru**.” He- Shiji, greeted. “I take it your new student, or I guess, the new girl? Anyways, We’ve never had such a person here at Takagami.”

Yoshikazu felt their chest tighten in discomfort. “New student.” They mumbled out, correcting the blond. “I’m not a girl.”

“Oh, sorry bout that, I assumed by the uniform,” Yoshikazu realized that wearing the much more comfortable ladies uniform was a mistake “new guy.”

“No, I don’t…” They blush, glancing down at their feet. “...I don’t identify as either, I apologize…”

Shiji slapped his forehead. “Fuck, I’m sorry dude. My bad.” He said, apologizing. “I swear, I won’t fuck up like that.” 

Yoshikazu tried to smile. “It’s ok…” They mumbled.

“Nice going, _jackass_. Ya scared the newbie.” The other boy groaned. “I’m **Seiji Murakami** , by the way. I’m way better at treating people with respect than this guy.” The boy said, jabbing at Shiji.

“Oh shut up!” Shiji laughed. “I really apologize for being a jackass.”

Kiyoshi groaned. “Yeah dude, you better.”

“It’s ok, really…” Yoshikazu blushed as they answered. “But, thank you for caring.” The brunet mumbled the last part, softly twirling their long pigtails. 

Shiji smiled. “No problem. By the way, where did you used to go before you started going to Takagami?”

“Oh, uh… nowhere, I was homeschooled.” Yoshikazu awkwardly answered. “I was… a shut in before I came here.”

Kiyoshi patted Yoshikazu’s shoulder. “That’s interesting -- I mean, this has to be the first time you went to a highschool, right?”

Yoshikazu nodded.

“Anyways,” Seiji smiled. “Do you wanna go to the Junes that opened up here? I here they added more to the technology section, more laptops and shit.” 

“Oh hell yeah!” Shiji smiled. “I do need a new laptop, my old when just died on me.”

Kiyoshi laughed, taking his hand of Yoshikazu’s shoulder. “D’ya wanna come with us, Yoshikazu?” 

The Brunet blushed. “Uh… sure.

* * *

> >I went with them to Junes. It's like a supermarket, very crowded. Almost triggered my social anxiety (very scary, lol). Kiyoshi explained that the owner used to know Adachi, but they have bad blood. Going to the tech aisle tempted me to get a new laptop.

* * *

**> Date: 04/08/20, 6:00 P.M..**

“So this is Junes?” Yoshikazu asked, walking into the tech aisle of the supermarket.

“Mhm.” Kiyoshi hummed. “Big ass supermarket, kinda like that US chain Walmart. Oh, Shiji,”

Shiji looked at Kiyoshi. “Yea, what’s up?” He asked, looking at the various laptops with Seiji. 

“Ok, actually, all of you guys.” Kiyoshi corrected. “Do you guys know about Twilight Livestreams?”

“No. The fuck is that?” Shiji asked.

Kiyoshi snorted. “Jeez, watch your language dude. Anyways,” Kiyoshi paused. “It’s a site that only comes on at the strike of Twilight -- 1 a.m, to be precise. If you register an account on the site, it’s said you’ll meet your destined partner!”

Yoshikazu blushed. “D… destined partner?”

“Jeez, sounds like that stupid tv channel that was the hot news a couple years back,” Seiji said. “Midnight Channel? Something like that. Stupid as hell, but the same thing as that. ‘Destined partner’ stuff with Twilight Livestreams.”

“C’mon, Murakami, it _does_ sound pretty cool.” 

“Does not. Buy your laptop and lets get heading home, it’s getting late.”

Shiji groaned, grabbing a simple gray colored laptop. “This’ll do. You guys can get going- I’ll stay here and buy this.”

Kiyoshi laughed, heading out. “Yeah, yeah. Remember, sign up for that website tonight on that brand new laptop!”

Shiji laughed. And, with that, Yoshikazu, Kiyoshi and Seiji.

* * *

> >That night, I decided to use the site. I thought it’d be a good idea… but, that’s when this **bizarre** adventure started. In retrospect, it was a horrible decision… but at the moment, I thought it was a good idea.

* * *

**> Date: 04/09/20, 1:30 A.M..**

Yoshikazu stared at their desktop. The icons seemingly glanced back at them -- Discord, Twitter, Tumblr, the whole shebang. 

Soon, Twilight Live Streams would be added to that shebang as well.

Yoshikazu softly typed into the search bar, a bit nervous about it.

A blush grew on their face. An uncomfortable blush on their face, and a horrible feeling in their flat chest.

Without going to a google search page, they were sent directly to a website.

Submit? Like, submit an account name?

Well. That was what Kiyoshi wanted… so…

* * *

> >this is the girls uniform, what i wear. art again by ███████


	3. THE ONLINE

* * *

> >This is where my- _our_ story begins. This is… where I found that foggy place... where I met… her. 

* * *

**> Date: UNKNOWN TIME**

Yoshikazu woke up in a strange place. After they made an account on Twilight, they decided to go to bed. And when they woke up for school… they were… well, not at their _real_ room.

Yoshikazu was in a similar room to their normal room -- messy as normal, but… seemingly foggy.

“Hello?” They mumbled, getting out of their plain bed.

Where were they?

They did their (new) routine in the morning, getting into their Takagami uniform -- the girls uniform, like yesterday (with of course, their binder underneath the loose school blouse.) They put their long, brown hair into pigtails. 

Then, they left their empty house - a house with no parents. 

The streets were just as foggy as Yoshikazu’s room, and the sky was… well, a harsh shade of pink -- almost like the anime Yoshikazu watched, where the sky was bright yellow…

It was also so disturbing.

“Um… hello?” The short brunet called out, placing their hands uncomfortably on their chest. “Uh, anyone out there…?”

Then, they felt a sharp kick to their back.

“AH!” Yoshikazu squeaked, falling on the ground. In a rush of fear, they scrambled into a fetal position to see their attacker.

A slim, tall girl with pale skin and a bob of pink hair. She wore a puffy sweater with the words _Dream Like Reality_ imprinted on the sweater, which also obscured her hands. She wore gartered-shocking which also led into her shoes which had hearts as the toe. 

“You’re not a shadow?” She said in a curious voice. “How did you get here?”

“I don’t know!” Yoshikazu cried. “Please don’t hurt me!”

The girl lowered her head, thinking. “Well, if you’re not a shadow, I have no reason to hurt you so…” The pink haired woman held her hand out for Yoshikazu. “I apologize for kicking you. I’m Pixel.”

Yoshikazu grabbed Pixel’s hands. “W- where am I?” They asked.

“The Online, the world behind the screen. I’m an anti-virus, I protect this place.” Pixel explained, helping Yoshikazu up. “I don’t know how you got here… you’re a game player, like Cooper…”

“Cooper?” Yoshikazu repeated. “Who’s that?”

Pixel held their hands. “He’s a persona user, like me.” Pixel explained. “He’s a young boy from your world, who’s vowed to protect this one with me. We should go see him, he might be better at explaining this to you than I would.”

“Wait, you’re…”

“I’m not ‘a human’, yes.” Pixel answered. “I live here, I protect it.”

“And a persona user…”

“Long story, Cooper could explain it better.”

Yoshikazu held Pixel’s hand as they both walked threw the desolate alternate Takayama -- with pink skies and foggy streets. 

Then… a thing ran up to them.

The ‘thing’ was a short anthropomorphic and biped dog-like creature with a large spheroidal head. It’s fur was predominantly coffee color, with the exception of its limbs and short tail, which were a soft cream colored. It wore an apricot colored ascot.

Yoshikazu jumped back, releasing Pixel’s hand with a shriek _ah_. “What is that thing!” They shouted asked.

“I’m not a _thing_ !” It shouted. “I’m Cooper, and I’m not a _thing_.”

Yoshikazu hid themself behind Pixel. “ _That’s_ Cooper?” 

“Yes.” The dog- the thing- _Cooper_ answered. “I help Pixel here, so what’s a _human_ doing here?”

Yoshikazu bent down to Cooper’s level. “What are you doing here? How do I get out of here?” 

Cooper gave a smile. “Thankfully, since we _probably_ live close… well, how you get out is by your computer.”

“My computer? Then how did you…”

“I’ll explain _that_ later. Like I said, we live close - probably.” He said, avoiding answering that. “First, you need to get to your home. Second, we need you to get out of here. It’s dangerous for a human to be here.”

“But…” They paused. “But what about you?”

“He’s a _persona_ user. He’s different than you, he has something that can protect himself.” Pixel answered, pulling Yoshikazu up. “That doesn’t matter now, but, if you do get separated…” Pixel trailed off, handing Yoshikazu a… knife, from hammerspace (probably).

“Use this.”

* * *

> >This is what Cooper, Pixel and I look like. (Drawn, again, by ███████) 


	4. The ONLINE (part 2)

* * *

**> Date: UNKNOWN TIME**

“So you’re a dog?” Yoshikazu asks the… dog, which is still a weird concept, as they unlock the door to the _Hashimoto_ residence. Yoshikazu used to actually talk to a puppy when they were younger -- a puppy that looked like Cooper, but obviously, they weren’t the same dog.

Cooper nodded. “In the real world, I am in fact a normal dog.” 

“Why are you like… _this,_ then?” They ask, opening the door for Pixel and the dog. 

“Because he’s _logged into_ The ONLINE,” Pixel says, giving an almost-half answer, “this is simply his digital avatar to properly fight here.”

And they’re in Yoshikazu’s empty and somewhat messy home. “Um, so… what now?”

The pink haired woman and the dog glanced around the small place, sizing it up. “Well, where were you last?”

“Um… my room. Last I remember…” They pause, and then they’re mind starts to race. Was Yoshikazu dying? Was Yoshikazu already _dead_ ? Was this some sick and twisted version of hell they stuck in? “Oh- oh, Jesus Christ, I- I just, I-” Yoshikazu squeaks out, their head felt _hot_. “I just-”

Pixel tilts her head, confused. “Are you alright?” Not moving as she stared at Yoshikazu.

Why was _she_ confused? If anything, Yoshikazu should be the confused one, none of this made any sense. Why was this happening to them? Why was _any_ of this happening to them? 

Why wh _y why wh **y**_ **_why_** -

“Hey.” Cooper says while he gently _baps_ Yoshikazu’s hand, snapping Yoshikazu out of their panic. “Kneel down,”

Yoshikazu knelt down, just as instructed. 

The dog smiled -- well, smiled with his pseudo-face-dog-muzzle. “Ok, now, breathe in-”

Yoshikazu breathed in, and Cooper let them still for a half a minute.

“Now breathe out.”

And then, Yoshikazu breathed out.

The two did that for a solid two minutes, until Yoshikazu’s brain didn’t feel like pure cocktail of _Red Bull, Monster_ and _Coffee_. “Good,” Cooper barks out, giving another faux smile. “Good.”

“What are you two doing?” Pixel asks, kneeling down as well.

“Helping them. They were having a panic attack.” Cooper explains, looking at Pixel, and then back at Yoshikazu. “I’m a former therapy dog, I used to see a lot of therapists do this with people suffering from anxiety.”

Pixel stared at Yoshikazu. “Do you have anxiety?”

“Huh?” Yoshikazu mumbles out, glancing back. “I… I think, I’ve never been to a therapist since I… shut myself in.”

Pixel stood up, looking up stares. “You were a _Hikikomori_?” She asks, almost expecting Yoshikazu to stand up as well. 

...Which they did.

“I… I guess, I guess I was.” Yoshikazu mumbles. “I… became one after my mother… um, killed herself.” That made the room went silent.

“I… well, _she…_ did _that_ because, well,” Yoshikazu feels their mind go faster than it can again, but they try their best to stay calm. Which they successfully do. “Well, she caught dad cheating- and he left, leaving us. Then… I came out.”

“Came out?” Pixel repeats.

“As… well, not being a girl. Or a boy.”

“You’re nonbinary.” Pixel states, which Yoshikazu nods. They never knew the term but… it felt _right_ to them. “You’re mother killed herself because you came out as nonbinary?”

Yoshikazu nods. “And… that happened when I was 12. Every since then… I shut myself in, I did all my education online and…”

“ **And hid myself, like a pussy**.” A voice similar to Yoshikazu rang in the house, finishing what Yoshikazu was saying. And… down their stairs to the second floor… was a person identical to Yoshikazu.

Thin... with long brown hair -- not in pigtails, however-- with the same pink bangs that Yoshikazu had. The same school uniform as well -- a white blouse with a popped collar and a long black skirt. 

They were… a complete copy of Yoshikazu.

The only difference, aside from the lack of pigtails, was… instead of Yoshikazu’s standard pink-red eyes… they were a bright, eerie yellow.

Pixel narrowed her eyes at the copy, leading Cooper to do the same. “Shadow.” She said quickly. “Yoshikazu-- that _thing_ is your shadow.”

“ **Right, right… you see, that’s how people view me.** ” The thing- that person- the other Yoshikazu- _shadow_ Yoshikazu spoke. “ **That’s why** **_mommy_ ** **killed herself, because I’m a** **_freak_ ** **, right…** ” The being looked at Yoshikazu.

“ **Me?** ”


	5. A shadow

* * *

**> Date: UNKNOWN TIME**

“What?” Yoshikazu mumbles. “How does that…”

Shadow Yoshikazu, _the other Yoshikazu,_ walks towards them and leans forward. “ **I’m just you, of course. That’s just how life** **_is_ ** **.** ”

Pixel pulled Yoshikazu back, Cooper gave a harsh growel. “Shadows are the lower parts of the psyche everyone has…” Pixel explained, looking at the ‘Shadow’.

“Suppressed human thoughts given physical form. When people are unable to face their darker selves, they break loose, free from all control. But sometimes, _beings_ with special awareness can tame their Shadows…” Cooper helped explained as well, putting himself between the two Yoshikazus (Yoshikazi?). “And those beings…”

A clear, pink-ish blue light shimmered above Pixel, Yoshikazu, and Cooper… what the hell…? 

“Those are what we call _Persona-users_!” Pixel and Cooper said in unison, pushing Yoshikazu into their living room couch. And above them were… two beings -- too confusing for Yoshikazu to understand.

“And as Persona-users…” Pixel stood upright, pointing at the other Yoshikazu. “I _have_ to annihilate you.”

Yoshikazu stood up. “Hey…”

The other Yoshikazu glared daggers at them, completely ignoring Pixel and Cooper. “ **Oh, what is it?** ” They said nonchalantly. “ **Are you going to have an anxiety attack? Like you always do**?” The shadow says, insultingly, walking towards Yoshikazu, who was trying to ball themself up on the couch.

Yoshikazu, thankfully, still had the knife Pixel gave them -- but they couldn’t do anything, really…

“ **You’re gonna get scared, like when mommy used to yell at you?** ” The shadow insulted.

Pixel and Cooper glared at the being. “Get away from them!” She snapped.

“ **Oh, shut up. This doesn’t involve you.** ” They said, hushing them. And it was almost like… Pixel and Cooper were _blocked._ “ **Back to you… oh, despite your** **_anxiety_ ** **over mommy dearest, you still let her control you…** ”

Yoshikazu squeaked, trying to make a distance between them. “Wh… what are you…” Their heart pumped quickly. “T-talking about…?”

“ **So scared, so anxious over mommy… yet you still let her loom over you…** ” The shadow explained, they leaned towards Yoshikazu -- close enough, that Yoshikazu felt the other them’s breathe. And then, a harsh tug at their pigtail, and harshly pulling Yoshikazu off the couch. “ **Yet you still have this, the hair style she** **_always_ ** **made for you! Because you’ll always be** **_mommy’s little girl_ **.” 

Yoshikazu felt their entire body go into a state of shock. Were they going to have a panic attack? What were Pixel and Cooper doing?

They gripped the knife in their hand. The pretty knife… with a soft, silver shimmer.

“ **What? Are you going to do everyone a miracle and** **_kill_ ** **yourself?** ” The shadow snapped. “ **That’s what you’d** **_like_ ** **to do. I know that, because I AM you!** ”

“I…” Their chest tightened. “You… you’re… yea. You are me.” Yoshikazu agreed, standing up with the knife in their hand. “It’s scary… but it’s. I have let my mom control me. She’s made things hard for me,”

Shadow Yoshikazu gave a shocked look.

“But... “ They brought the knife to one of their pigtails. “But I won’t end my life! I felt like it in the past… but,” Yoshikazu slashed the first pigtails off, watching as the lock of brown hair and pink ribbon fall to the floor. “I have to advance a little further with my life, constantly changing - I have to live the way of a drill!” And they did the same to the other. 

“I won’t let myself be afraid anymore!” Yoshikazu said with… a new found confidence. “So… yes. You are me.”

The other Yoshikazu gave a look 

The shadow… Yoshikazu.

Themself.

They smiled. And they dispersed into a flutter of pink light.

And… the flutter of light grew into a tall, androgynous being. They wore a kimono… no, more a yukata, with hay-like tendrils slinking out of the sleeves. Their head was that of a paper lamp -- which had the loose definition of a face, with closed eyes and “lipstick”.

“ _The strength of heart required to face oneself has been made manifest…_ _I am thou… thou art I._ ” The being spoke. _Thou has faced thine other self. Thine has obtained the facade used to overcome fears of mankind. Thy art the fool of thine harvest, Kuebiko!"_

The being, _Kuebiko_ , the persona, disappeared into a flutter of pink _sakura_ petals -- and with that, Pixel and Cooper reappeared… what the hell happened?

Pixel ran up behind Yoshikazu, her face worried. “Are you ok?” She sized them up again. “...You cut your hair.”

Yoshikazu felt the shortness of their hair -- the cleanness of the cut, despite the sloppy nature of the hair fix. Despite that… despite the sloppy-ness of it, Yoshikazu loved their hair. They felt… better about it. 

“Indeed I did. I also got a Persona, so I could… probably help you two now, right?”

Cooper barked in agreement. “But, with all that… you should rest. You need to get to the _real_ world, I’ll meet you there. If you hear barking at your door in the morning, that’s me.”

And with that… the trio entered Yoshikazu’s room. When they managed to get Yoshikazu logged off, the first action they did was _sleep_ , because they were dead tired.

* * *

Yoshikazu woke up in a… a strange room. 

_Not again…_

The room was a dark blue pilot room -- like the ones found in an airplane, and what greeted Yoshikazu was… a young man in a blueish black suit with gray hair and his assistant, a tall androgynous person in an airplane hostess uniform with silver hair and gold eyes.

“Welcome to the Velvet room, Mx. Hashimoto!” The man said, swirling around in his chair, pulling out a bendable desk. 

Yoshikazu fidgeted. “Uh… how did you… know my name?”

The man smiled. “Firstly… My name is Frungle... I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” He -- Frungle, paused. “I know you, because I am from a room room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter… which, you are.”

Yoshikazu sat down in the nearest chair. “Um, thank you.”

Frungle smiled. “Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?" The man said, as he placed his hand above a small table. A small blue light emitted from his hand... weird. But, Yoshikazu has arguably seen _weirder_. "Do you believe in fortune telling?" He said as he lifted his hand, placing seven cards down.

“Um… I guess.”

"Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different..."Frungle chuckled, "Life itself follows the same principle, doesn't it?"

Frungle flipped a card up, and revealed it to Yoshikazu.

"Hm... The Tower in upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent." Frungle said coolly.

A catastrophe?

"The card indicating the future beyond that is..." Frungle said, reaching for another card to flip over. "The Moon, in the upright position."

"This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'... very interesting indeed. It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you. In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here." Frungle explained softly, which made Yoshikazu... would unnerved be the word? 

That made Yoshikazu _unnerved._

Frungle continued. "The coming year is a turning point in your life... if the turning point goes unturned, your future maybe forever lost!" When Frungle said this, he genuinely sounded scared of... something. "My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen."

“Th… thank you.” Yoshikazu mumbled.

Frungle waved his hand, and the cards were gone.

"Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you." Frungle said with a smile, waving his hand near the platinum blond assistant. "This is Emily. They are a resident of this place, like myself."

Emily looked at Yoshikazu. "My name is Emily, like Frungle said. I am here to accompany you through your journey." They said, giving a smile

"We shall attend the details another time." Frungle said, looking at Yoshikazu. "Until then, farewell..."

And with that… Yoshikazu seemingly went back to sleep.


	6. Return

**> Date: 04/11/20, 6:00 A.M..**

Yoshikazu woke up with the worst kink in their neck. Their back also ached, with a sharp pain. Thankfully, Yoshikazu’s mind was pure as crystal. They didn’t wake up hating themself like usual, instead… they woke up happy.

And, also, a dog sleeping on the ground. 

“Cooper?” Yoshikazu mumbled, rubbing their eyes. 

The dog immediately raised his head up. Cooper in the real world was just a regular Australian wild dog, bottle brush tail and all. “Goodmorning.” The dog answered, with a yawn. It was a bit weird hearing a human voice come a dog.

“How long have I been sleeping?”

“Two days, tops.”

Jesus. “That long?”

Cooper nodded. “The same happened to me, accepting yourself takes a lot out of you.”

“Yeah.” They pause, feeling a new found energy in them. “I… I should probably get to school.”

Cooper perked his head up as Yoshikazu got out of their bed, and got dressed. They got into the school uniform -- the girls one, despite their gender, they still liked to comfortableness of it. Even then, it was different now.

Their hair was short enough that it didn’t bother them anymore.

\---

> Takagami Highschool, class D-3

“Ah! You’re back!” Kiysohi said as he hugged Yoshikazu, which was the first thing that greeted them. “You were out for two days, what happened?” He asked.

Yoshikazu was tempted to give the full answer, which was that  _ I was transported to a weird nightmare land and met a dog and got a persona. Also, I was in the cockpit of an airplane _ which all sounded insane. “Sudden illness. I, uh… ate something bad.” They answered, fibbing. 

Better to lie than sound completely and utterly insane.

“Damn.” Yoshikazu heard behind them, which was in fact the voice of Seiji. “That sucks, are you feeling better now?”

They nodded. “Oh, I uh, did that website thing.”  _ Which may or may not have sent me to an alternate world that almost got me killed.  _ “Twilight Live streams?”

Kiyoshi laughed. “Oh, that thing? Bunch of hogwash, unfortunately.” Well, he’s incorrect  _ their,  _ but not the way he’s expecting. “Shiji and I went on it last night, but nothing happening.” He paused. “He was the one that signed up, not me, by the way.”

Seiji sighed. “It’s almost class time, where is he?”

“I dunno…” Kiyoshi answered, not sure. “He might be sick like Yoshikazu!”

Yoshikazu didn’t respond, making a grim realization about what may have happened to Shiji. Which made their blood go cold. This fact and revelation, was _not_ good.


	7. >Date: 04/11/20, 5:00 P.M..

Adachi grimaces, glancing at Yoshikazu. “Where were you out yesterday, and the day before that?”

“Sick.” Yoshikazu answers, faster than all the times before, when they were asked that. “Well, uh, I was sick, Adachi-sensei, had a nasty and sudden stomach bug.” They add, trying to add more detail to it. “It was, uh, caused by food poisoning.”

“Cool, awesome.” Adachi says in response, writing down the cause of absence on a piece of notebook paper. “Are you climbing into tvs?” He says quickly, almost blindsiding them, as if he were a skilled boxer on a dummy.

“Excuse me?” 

“Oh, sorry. It’s nothing.” Adachi mumbles awkwardly, looking back at the attendance sheet in front of him. “Just an old joke, between my former partner and I.”

“Partner?” Yoshikazu repeats. “You… you were married, Adachi-sensei?”

“What? God no.” He pauses. “I used to be a police detective, in Yasoinaba.”

_ All cops are bastards,  _ Yoshikazu thinks.  _ And Adachi smells like an ashtray _ . They also note, thinking of the distinct ash-y smell coming off of Adachi’s suit. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah, it’s… nothing. I’m sorry about the joke, it was really oafish of me. But, just, don’t worry about it, ok?” Adachi says, waving the subject off. His face scrunched up, uncomfortably. “Anyways, I have some material for you, from the days you missed. I already have a third-year student of mine to help you.”

Yoshikazu tilted their head. “Um, alright Adachi-sensei.” They paused. “Oh- uh, sorry who is going to help me…?”

“Nanako Dojima of class 3-3. She’s very nice, so you don’t have to be scared of her.” He said softly, handing Yoshikazu a three page notes-packet. “She should be done with her after school club by now.”

“Ah, uh… thank you sensei…”

> Nanako Dojima was a tall, young woman with short brown hair and had soft, brown eyes. She wore an open school blouse, with a pink and red turtleneck -- and of course, a long black skirt. All in all, a very typical Takagami uniform.

  


“Hello, Hashimoto-kun!” The senior said with a soft smile. “I don’t know if Adachi-san told you who I am…”  _ He did,  _ Yoshikazu thinks, but they don’t interrupt the senior. “I’m  **Nanako Dojima** . I’m here to tutor you for the classes you missed.”

“Th… thank you, senpai.”

She gave a gentle laugh. “No worries, please, sit down.” Nanako said politely, sitting at a desk, waiting for Yoshikazu to do the same. 

Yoshikazu awkwardly sat down, feeling themself start to… well, ‘turtle’ up. It was still so  _ awkward _ and felt so  _ suffocating  _ to be alone with someone.

“Ye… Yeah. O-of course.” Yoshikazu mumbles. “Um… where do I begin? Oh, uh- actually, what does Adachi-sensei even teach?”

“He teaches philosophy to second years.” Nanako answers. “But, let’s start on the Ninth, m’kay?”

Yoshikazu nods awkwardly, handing the senior the notes packet. Nanako looked at the page with almost laser focus, her face becoming more stern -- almost in opposition to the soft and gentle face moments ago.

“You’re learning about [the Ship of Theseus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_of_Theseus).” She says, lifting her head up.

“The ship of what?”

“Ship of Theseus. It’s a thought experiment, usually used in the metaphysics of identity.” Nanako explained. “Do you want me to explain it?”

Yoshikazu softly nodded.

Nanako gave a soft laugh before beginning. “Good of Adachi-san to put information from Wikipedia… anyways,” She pauses. “Well… it is supposed that the famous ship sailed by the hero Theseus in a great battle was kept in a harbor as a museum piece, and as the years went by some of the wooden parts began to rot and were replaced by new ones; then, after a century or so, every part had been replaced. The question then is if the 'restored' ship is still the same object as the original.”

“...Wow.” Yoshikazu mumbles, taking it all in. “That’s a lot.”   


“Doesn’t end there.” Nanako says with a smile. “If it is, then suppose the removed pieces were stored in a warehouse, and after the century, technology was developed that cured their rot and enabled them to be reassembled into a ship? Is this "reconstructed" ship the original ship? If it is, then what about the restored ship in the harbor still being the original ship as well?”

“That was Adachi-sensei’s first lesson? Seems a bit…” Yoshikazu mumbles. “Existentialist and very high concept, I guess.”

“He’s like that, I guess.” She says softly. “Even the proposed resolution he put goes into cognitive science, an existentialist concept.” She breathed in, reading to read more. According to  _ Noam Chomsky _ , as described in his novel  _ Of Minds and Language _ , ‘ _ the paradox arises because of extreme externalism: the assumption that what is true in our minds is true in the world’ _ .” She pauses. “This is not an unassailable assumption, from the perspective of the natural sciences, because human intuition is often mistaken. Cognitive science would treat this paradox as the subject of a biological investigation, as a mental phenomenon internal to the human brain. Studying this human confusion can reveal much about the brain's operation, but little about the nature of the human-independent external world.”

Yoshikazu blinks, still confused. That was… a lot to understand, and a lot to take in. “...Is that it…?”

Nanako smiles. “Yep! I don’t wanna overload you, so we’ll do the tenth’s lesson tomorrow.” She pauses. “It’ll be on Personas and shadows.”

Yoshikazu nearly bolted up. “What!?”

Nanako gave a weird, confused look. “Yeah, I thought the same. It’s not philosophy, it’s Jungian psychology… but it does relate to cognitive science, so I guess that’s why Adachi-san gave a lecture about it.”

“Oh… yeah,”

Nanako stood, smiling. “Anyways, I have to get going. See you tomorrow Yoshikazu!”

* * *

**…………………………………………………………………………………**

* * *

> **> This is my Persona, Kuebiko. It has… skills.**
> 
> **Agi  
> ** **Maragi  
> ** **Sonic Punch  
> ** **Media**
> 
> **I don't know much on what a Kuebiko exactly is... but... I'll understand soon.**

****

****

> **> These’r Pixel and Cooper’s personas… although, I haven’t seen them, yet...**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ship of Theseus is one of my favorite thought experiments, so I thought I should add that in.


End file.
